St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-20
HE WEARS DIAMONDS.
Joseph q. Mack Talks Like a Success
full Manager.
GEBHARDT = billiard FUSS.
Cases Where the Public VIII Not Be
Humbugged---SOme of the Ele-
ments of Success.

A crowd of club men were chatting in
the Hobbies Of the West hotel yesterday
anent the Hilliard-G ebhardt affair of
last week. Said Joseph Ii. Mack, the
manager of the tragedian, Robert
Downing:
Its wonder to me that some of the
Gebhardt crowd didn't get physically
punished. Bob billiard, the actor. [
know quite well, and a more perfect
gentleman does not exist. Besides his
many accomplishments he's quite an
athlete and very strong indeed. pre-
sumo the other crowd weakened. | see
the matter, though, was satisfactorily
arranged"
But mightn't the affair have been
some advertising Scheme?"
Il don't think So" said Mr.. Mack,
''fOr billiard has too much sense to
work such a scheme"
do you believe that managers want
such stuff about their stars floating over
the country?"
No, indeed. Even laudatory notices
unless backed up by facts themselves
are damaging to man. / recognized
this years ago and have never handled
any sort of attraction that | didn't be-
lieve had merit in it. Barnum said that
the American people wanted to be
made an aphOriSm. They want a good
exchange for their dollar now, and thai
is what they should have. The great
success of Irving, outside of the curiOS-
ity he created as British tragedian,
was due to the fact that he depended on
ensemble and realism. Every theatrical
success to-day depends on those two
things If, for example, brought the
production of SpartacuS here without
the same elaborate scenic effects and
armOr, etc., that were used in my pro-
ductiOn at the Star theater, New York,
and any of you had seen it there
wouldn't you say that l was giving Min
neapOlis the worst of it. That's
point that must be carefully considered
and you wouldn't think of the difference
between the prices of the Star and
the Grand here.
1.-The greatest thing to overcome with
a travelling company is to combat
against the disadvantages in local the
aters, and the combination that can pre-
sent an elaborate production smoothly
the first night must be thoroughly
equipped. In large cities like Mime
apOiis, where you have ample stage
room, why there is no trouble, but take
cities where there is not height to hang
drops and width to get perspective for
set pieces ana 1t is awful. There is
quite difference from the experience
of decade ago. By the way. a rather
amusing experience occurred to us in
Detroit. a young student who wanted
to see the mysteries OF stagecraft
was put in the supers and the excite
ment Of the time and place, together
with Downing's acting made him faint.
"YOu can imagine the effect when he
toppled over. Here was one time when
realism came into bad play.
''But that amt so bad as another in
cident ! recall when l was managing
the Merry War Opera company. We
were playing in Western town and
the tenor had just received an encore,
and the audience were applauding,
when out walked a half-witted boy who
hung around the theater. Stepping up
to the tenor he exclaimed softly, ''Gosh,
mister, but you've sweet lungw